Berkshire swings to profit; Buffett says economy rebounding

Berkshire Hathaway Inc swung to a profit in the first quarter as rising markets increased the value of investments, and a recovering economy boosted results at industrial operations.

Net earnings were about $3.63 billion, according to a slide posted by Chairman Warren Buffett today at Berkshire’s annual meeting of shareholders in Omaha, Nebraska. The net loss was about $1.5 billion in the first three months 2009, according to a statement from Berkshire last year.

The economy “picked up steam in March and April,” Buffett said. That followed “sort of a sputtering recovery a few months ago,” he said.

Berkshire bought railroad Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp for about $27 billion in February in Buffett’s biggest acquisition, a deal he called an “all-in wager” on the US economy. The purchase will reduce Berkshire’s reliance on insurance operations and the housing-related businesses that faltered in the recession.

 

In businesses that serve broad industries, like railroads, “We are seeing an uptick,” Buffett said.

Berkshire results in the first quarter included a gain of about $1.4 billion on derivatives and investments compared with a loss of about $3.2 billion on the holdings in the year earlier.